


Life's Too Short

by neabee



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Gay Mike Wheeler, Gay Will Byers, Good Parent Joyce Byers, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mike doesn't have nice parents in this, also no max or eleven my bad!, does mention the upside down though, i kind of glossed over season 2 though on accident, jonathan and dustin and lucas are really just mentioned, there is actually all 3 types lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 02:12:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17013585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neabee/pseuds/neabee
Summary: A fic from different points in time starting from where they’re kids so mike and will don’t watch a lot of tv/the news so they miss the coverage of aids from the 80’s and they live in a small town so they don’t think it’s necessarily weird to start being romantic with each other but mike’s parents see this and are angry but they don’t know how to explain to mike why it’s ‘wrong’ so mike internalizes a lot of it, but soon realizes by the help of nancy, will, and joyce that it’s actually fine and his parents are assholes.





	Life's Too Short

**Author's Note:**

> honestly i've just been sitting on this fic for several months now, and i don't think i'm ever gonna add more to it. i don't think it's my best but i wanted to post some byeler that dealt with internalizing stuff and mike's parents not accepting him, so i did my best i guess lol!
> 
> title is from a song since that's how i title my fics lol but i didn't have one in my head already for this so i just went with the song i was listening to which was life's too short by wild party

[2nd grade]

Ever since they had known each other and become friends Mike and Will acted some semblance of romantic with one another. At younger ages they mostly just held hands or sat closer to each other than Lucas or Dustin would sit next to each other. They didn’t see it as weird. They didn’t see it as anything but the two of them acting like themselves.

~~~~~

They quickly stopped hold hands at school with each other after Troy moved to Hawkins and commented on it.

~~~~~

“Do you-- do you know those words Troy called us earlier?” Will asked, seeming unsure if he should even ask the question.

“Yeah,” Mike responded affirming he had heard it too. It wasn’t just a figment of Will’s imagination.

“What do they mean?” Will asked.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like how he used them or how it made me feel,” Mike answered.

“I don’t either. He made them sound bad, like dirty or something,” Will agreed.

~~~~~

Will never told his mom he had been called that word though. Even at that age he knew his mom would call the school and make it a big deal, and they would brush it off as usual telling her they would do something, but never doing anything to Troy or anyone else who bullied Will.

 

He learned to deal with the bullying.

 

~~~~~

[middle school]

It’s at some point in middle school, the spring after Will disappears, that Will and Mike start understanding things. There’s a day where Karen sees all the boys heading to the basement from the kitchen window and notices Will and Mike holding hands. She waits until all the boys have left later that night.

“Hey, Mike?” She begins.

“Yeah?” Mike stops on his way up the stairs to bed.

“I noticed this afternoon, you and Will… holding hands. And I think you should be careful on doing that where anyone can see.” She says gently, not wanting to come right out and say why.

Mike looks at her confused. “Why? We’re just holding hands. We’re just friends,” Mike says.

“Well, it’s just that people might talk. Most people see holding hands only as something romantic, and I’m not saying it’s right, but there’s a lot going on in the world right now that you boys don’t really understand because you don’t see it and it’s not appropriate for you to see, but just be careful,” Karen says.

“Uh, ok sure Mom,” Mike replies, knowing better than to start an argument right now with his mom over something as simple as holding hands with Will. They’re closer now after everything that happened with the upside down. Why would anyone blame Mike for that? He thought he had lost one of his best friends. His closest best friend, his Will.

~~~~~

“So, my mom said something really weird to me last night about us.” Mike told Will the next day as he was walking Will home back from the arcade.

It had been a couple years since everything but Mike still wasn’t comfortable with the idea of Will walking home alone, especially close to dark. He didn’t know if he ever would be, but Will didn’t seem to mind the company and if it made Mike feel better he was okay with it. And Mike was right, Will didn’t mind the company, especially if it was Mike. Mike was the only one he seemed to be comfortable being open with about still being scared sometimes after everything that had happened the last two falls. Lucas, Dustin or even Max walked him home, which he would’ve been okay with but in a secret way he was glad Mike seemed to be the one who always wanted to do it, and he wasn’t going to mention it if it would change that. Will liked his and Mike’s conversations when they were just by themselves.

“About us? What was it?” Will asked curious.

“She, uh, said we should stop holding hands. Where people can see, I guess. Weird, right?” Mike said.

“Mike,” Will said, stopping walking to look at Mike. “Do you want to stop holding hands?”

“No, no, I like it. She just seemed to have a problem with it, and I couldn’t understand why. Basically said we wouldn't understand because we're kids.” Mike explained.

Will hummed at this. He was smart though and could tell when Mike was lying, and Will knew that on some subconscious level Mike was nervous to keep holding hands in public in case people talked. Will left it alone for the time being and they dropped the conversation and for the rest of the way to Will’s house just talked about random things like comic books or trying to beat their high score next week at the arcade on whichever game.

~~~~~

Although looking back on those few years from late elementary school to high school Mike realized Will slowly was holding his hand in public less and less, but at the time Mike wasn’t strong enough to tell Will he didn’t care or that he really wanted to try and not care with Will.

~~~~~

It’s sometime in the summer before eighth grade when Nancy talks to him one evening. Not long after they promised each other they’d start being closer last fall when their first experience with the upside down happened, Nancy and Mike would spend some Saturday nights in her room just listening to music and sitting on her bed talking. Nancy would sometimes paint her nails and let Mike choose the color.

“Mike, can I ask you something?” Nancy said.

“Sure.”

“You know it’s ok for you to like Will differently than a best friend right? Like in middle school when I had a crush on Ryan Watson or how Lucas has a crush on Max. Boys can like other boys and girls can like other girls.” Nancy explained.

“Yeah, I know.” Mike said quietly. “I’m just not sure if I do, you know? Like, sure I’m probably closer to Will than Lucas or Dustin, but I don’t know that I like him like that. I mean I don’t really act any different with Lucas or Dustin than with Will. The only difference is we hold hands.”

“You hold hands?!” Nancy said surprised.

“Yeah, is that weird? A while ago Mom said it might be, but I didn’t really care because it was just after Will disappeared.” Mike replied.

“It’s not weird necessarily. I think people can hold hands in a platonic way, but I think you have to think about if you’re really holding hands with Will in a platonic or a romantic way.” Nancy said.

“Yeah, ok.” And that was the end of the conversation leaving Mike with some things to think about.

~~~~~

Mike figured things out pretty quickly though, and Will and Mike not long after that secretly started dating after confessing to each other they each had romantic feelings like a boy and a girl would. They were open about it mostly with Nancy, Dustin, Lucas, and Jonathan and Will’s mom. Dustin and Lucas supported them, which was great. Mike had known since the summer before eighth grade Nancy supported him, and he was really glad Joyce supported them too because Mike was still nervous how his parents would react after what his mom said a few years ago.

~~~~~

[high school when Mike comes out to his parents]

It was a random day in spring near the end of the school year when Mike decided he finally wanted to tell his parents he was gay and liked Will Byers. He had to tell his parents at dinner because they were never in the same room in the evening after that and it seemed like the best time. Mike fidgeted with his silverware nervously.

“Mom? Dad? Nancy?” Mike began, “I have to tell you all something and I hope it doesn’t change how you see me or anything..."

"I’m gay,” he blurted out. His mom’s hand on her wine glass tightened almost to the point where it looked like it might shatter, and his dad’s knuckles became white on his knife and fork from where he was gripping them.

“Michael-” his mom began.

“No,” his dad said firmly.

“What?!” Mike asked incredulously.

“Michael, you have to understand the times we live in. It’s just not acceptable,” his mom told him.

“This is not how we raised you, son. I will not have you making the choice to live that way and think it’s okay and not disgusting and harmful to this family,” his father said. Mike got up from the table furious, not wanting to hear anymore. He was going to Will’s where he knew he was safe. Will had come out to Joyce several months before and she was nothing but accepting, even going as far to say as she had a bit of an idea since Will was little. Michael stormed on the house while throwing a jacket on, and he got on a bike that he had outgrown at least 2 years ago, but he would probably never get rid of it.

None of the other boys had gotten rid of their bikes, even though Lucas had gotten a new bike for Christmas last year, he kept his old one. It was just another symbol they had all been through hell and back, together.

Mike pedaled to Will’s house getting there quicker than normal since he was so angry at his parents. J

oyce answered the door. “Hi, honey. It’s late. What do you nee--” She stopped short at seeing the tears and distraught look on his face, reaching to pull him into the house and into a warm hug. She looked down the hallway for Will, who had come out to see who was at the door and pretty quickly understood what was going on when he saw Mike’s shoulders shaking, he had known Mike was going to come out to his family tonight but he had been secretly fearful of this reaction. Even when they were younger and didn’t really understand the concept of being gay Will had always gotten some semblance of an idea that Mike’s parents didn’t like the fact that he and Mike were so close and would hold hands even though they were just kids. Will took Mike from his mom and started to lead him to his room.

“I’ll make you two some tea,” Joyce said sympathetically.

“Ok. Thanks,” Will replied. They sat down on Will’s bed, Mike still clinging to him, visibly upset.

“My parents are assholes,” Mike started angrily.

“They’re not, they’re just worried about you. They don’t want you to get hurt,” Will reasoned.

“Me liking guys won't hurt me. You’d never hurt me! And we’ll watch out for each other, won’t we?” Mike asked.

“I’ll always watch out for you, Mike,” Will told him.

“I’ll always watch out for you too, Will. We’ll always be best friends. I promise!” Mike told Will.

“There’s nothing wrong with how we are. We know that. That’s all that matters,” Will said to Mike.

Joyce came in a few seconds later with tea and set a tray with two cups and a teapot over on Will’s desk and quietly left the room hoping the two boys would be ok. She would let Mike know in the morning that he always had a safe, loving place here whenever he needed it. She would let him stay tonight already knowing he was in no shape to go back home tonight.

~~~~~

Mike stayed at Will’s house as long as he possibly could the next day, but knew he would have to go home eventually.

Mike slipped into the house late that night, long after he knew his parents would be asleep not wanting to see them yet. What he didn’t count on is when the stairs creaked Nancy would open her door and look relieved to see him and direct him into her room before he could reach his. She hugged him immediately.

“Mike, I was worried sick!” Nancy said.

“Sorry, Nance. Needed some time away,” Mike apologized feeling bad he had worried his sister.

“I understand. Look, Mike… Mom and Dad grew up here, they’ve never travelled outside of Indiana. They haven’t experienced a lot of.. different things. They trust what’s on the TV a lot, but just because you’re different doesn’t make you wrong,” Nancy said hoping her word choice wouldn’t confuse or offend her little brother.

“So it causes them to be close-minded a lot, but you shouldn’t let others tell how you to be. If you’re happy and safe that’s all that matters. If you want to be with Will, be with Will and know that I support you, and I’m sure so do all your friends and Jonathan and Mrs. Byers! The people who care about your happiness will support you,” Nancy finished her speech.

Mike sniffed and wiped his nose with his jacket sleeve. “Thanks, Nancy. You’re a good sister.”

“You’re a good little brother. Sometimes!” She teased affectionately.

Mike rolled his eyes and headed to his own room to try and get some sleep before breakfast in the morning to face his parents. He knew he would be okay though since he wasn’t really facing them alone. He had Nancy, his friends, Mrs. Byers, and best of all Will.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!! maybe i'll write more stranger things fic soon, but i've also written 1d and an achievement hunter fic as well as a justice league fic on here if you want to check those out! and you can always find me and chat with me on tumblr either on my 1d blog (muffinmanhoran) or my game grumps blog (itmegaygrump)


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